Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Podcast review: Bloody Good Horror means good times for all

If you’re like me – and who isn’t, really? - you’re always
on the lookout for a new podcast to help pass the time.

I’ve got my own lineup of daily, weekly and
who-the-heck-knows, but nothing lasts forever in the crazy world of podcasting.

After all, there was a time during
my youth when I’d listen to three hours of the Adam Carolla radio show on my
iPod each and every day. Now I rarely get around to listening to his half as
long daily podcast.

So even if you’re not in the market
for a new podcast right now, here’s one you can keep chambered for the
near-future if a slot opens up.

What is it: Bloody Good Horror

Where does it come from: Shockingly
enough, it comes from the good folks at BloodyGoodHorror.com.

Thoughts: BGH, as it’s
affectionately known, is a once-a-week podcast covering the latest new releases
in the horror genre. Its primary focus is theatrical releases, but the gang has
been known to dabble in direct-to-video and even some old school classics to help
fill out its schedule.

BGH occasionally stretches the
limits of the horror genre, including mainstream movies like “Oz: The Great and
Powerful,” before quickly retreating back to their roots with heavier, darker
and more visceral fare like “The Snowtown Murders.”

I picked up BGH in early October of
last year, the time of year when my thirst for all things horror is at its most
powerful.

I happened to be clicking around in
the movies and entertainment podcast section of iTunes and just stumbled upon
this gem.

On a whim I downloaded an episode,
on the anthology film “VHS,” knowing nothing about the movie or the podcast
team. It was just one of those things.

From that moment on, I was hooked.
I worked my way through the available back catalogue twice, unheard of in my
relationship with podcasting to that point. Each week it’s a welcome treat when
iTunes alerts me there’s a new episode waiting for me.

The strength of BGH lies in its
team of hosts: Eric (the leader), Mark (Eric’s lovable and nerdy kid brother),
Joe (beer, celebrity gossip and 90’s rap metal aficionado) Schnaars (Duke grad
and all-around smart guy) and Casey (the father-figure of the group).

Their chemistry is off the charts
and that makes listening to BGH like hanging out and talking movies with
friends. Sort of, anyway, because you can’t really talk back live. But you can
drop them a line on Twitter or through email and indirectly join in the
conversation that way, so it’s pretty close.

Even if you have no interest in the
movie they’re discussing, it’s still fun to check in and see what’s been going
on with everyone. Plus, there’s always the chance of some horror-nerd slap
fighting breaking out to liven things up.

Eric has a delightfully cranky
old-man personality, which makes him the perfect host. He wants to get out of
there and back to his life, which keeps things tight and the conversation rarely
wanders too far off course. When it does, it tends to give birth to a golden
feature, like “TMZ Headlines with Joe.”

Cons: Back catalogue is free to a
point, but older episodes cost 99 cents (not ideal, but understandable to help
the gang pay for bandwidth), episode posting can sometimes be sporadic

Where to start: If you want to fork
over the cash, I’d highly recommend the “Paranormal Activity 4”episode in which the gang decides the best
character is clearly the cat, or more recently “Oz: The Great and Powerful”
where the gang discusses that movie’s possibly inadvertent but very-obvious sexism.